Get settled.
Make yourself as comfortable as you can.
Close your eyes and simply notice how you feel right now.
Scan your body and notice if there's any tension anywhere.
Any tightness.
We're not trying to change it,
Simply noticing.
Now bring your attention to the breath.
Begin with noticing the breath around the nostrils.
Feel how it is to draw the breath in through the nose and down the back of the throat into the lungs.
Let this simple act of breathing begin the process of releasing.
Imagine anything that constrains you right now.
Anything in your life,
In your thoughts,
In your emotions,
In your body,
In your memories.
Being allowed to ease,
To release,
Even if just for this moment,
This place.
Making room for you,
Giving you space within and around you.
A space of peace and rest and calm.
Imagine these things as threads unbinding,
Unwinding,
Releasing,
Easing,
Loosening,
Leaving you feeling free and comfortable here and now.
As you sit and breathe,
Listen to the words of this intention.
I release what binds me.
I am open to the flow.
The invitation is to repeat it three times silently to yourself.
I release what binds me.
I am open to the flow.
If another intention arises within you,
A positive statement in the present tense,
Take a moment and repeat that too,
Three times.
As your breath softens and slows,
Imagine these threads of any cares and concerns gently disentangling from you,
Allowing you to move more freely with the movement of your breath.
The muscles of your face beginning to relax.
Your eyes,
Your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Your tongue,
Your neck,
All relaxing,
Releasing,
Softening.
Feeling your shoulders soften,
Your arms resting heavily in your lap,
All effort gone.
Surrendering into this moment,
Allowing the whole body to relax and be at ease.
Letting the breath drift along the arms and elbows and into your wrists,
Hands,
And onto the tips of your fingers.
Noticing your chest expand more fully on the in-breath,
Release more fully on the out-breath.
Feeling the muscles between the ribs stretch a little wider with each inhale.
Relaxing a little more deeply with each exhale.
And again,
A deep inhale,
Filling the ribcage,
Creating elasticity in the muscles,
Creating even more space for the nourishment of the breath.
Drawing the breath deeper into the body.
Coming into the belly now,
Feeling the breath in the belly,
The lower back,
The waist.
Feeling the lower torso of the body like bellows for the breath,
Full and rounded.
Each breath full and rounded.
Sinking deeper.
Noticing now the hips and pelvis.
Imagining,
Sensing,
Feeling the breath deep into the hips and pelvis.
Bringing ease and comfort,
Releasing tension,
Effort,
Constraint.
Simply breathing,
Allowing,
Releasing.
Down into the thighs.
Imagining,
Sensing,
Feeling the breath moving down into the thighs and on into the knees,
The calves,
The shins,
The ankles,
Feet,
And toes.
These parts of the body that carry us,
Carry the weight of us.
Now being filled with the lightness of the breath.
Breathing into the whole body now.
Imagining,
Sensing,
Feeling the whole body gently expanding with the in-breath.
Gently softening with the out-breath.
Releasing anything that binds you.
Notice any sensations in the tips of the fingers,
The tips of the toes.
Any tingling or warmth in the body as the breath moves to the furthest edges of you.
Simply breathing.
Begin to bring movement back into the body.
Allowing yourself to move with the breath.
Wriggling the fingers and toes.
Rolling the shoulders.
Taking a long stretch.
Doing whatever feels most freeing,
Most delicious.
And gently,
Gently,
Gently opening the eyes to a soft downward gaze.
I'll leave you now with a few minutes of music to rest here,
To reflect.
Or to move on into whatever the rest of your day or evening holds.
With so much love.
It has been wonderful to be here with you.
